What’s the difference: organic cosmetic formula versus certified organic cosmetic formula?

Does the training at IPCS include natural and organic ingredients?

Absolutely yes! Its one of the biggest trends of today to formulate with natural and organic ingredients; however it must be explained – properly – that simply adding a few natural and organic ingredients to a cosmetic formula does not usually of itself make the final product natural or organic.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the internet that suggests using a few natural and organic ingredients in a cosmetic formula somehow makes it okay to market the product as natural or organic. Let’s look at the key differences between a cosmetic formula containing natural and organic ingredients, and one that can actually be certified as a truly natural or organic cosmetic formula.

Natural and organic cosmetic formula myth #1:

Cosmetic formulas containing natural and organic ingredients are considered natural and/or organic.

FACT: Unless every ingredient in the cosmetic formula is in fact from a natural source, such as a plant oil, then it is unlikely to be all natural. Only cosmetic ingredients that are grown under organic conditions, and certified, can be considered organic. Most cosmetic formulas that are emulsions, such as lotions and creams, are at best described as containing natural and naturally derived ingredients with some synthetic components. Let’s look at some examples to help you understand this better:

• Caprylic/capric triglycerides are derived from coconut or palm oil. While this cosmetic ingredient and process is accepted by natural and organic certifiers, and very commonly used, the actual ingredient itself is more accurately described as naturally derived, as it does not occur in nature. Its starting materials do occur in nature, but it undergoes extensive processing to become a cosmetic ingredient we can use in natural-based formulations.
• Cetearyl alcohol, decyl glucoside and coco-glucoside are also commonly used in natural and organic formulas – yet they too are derived from coconut or palm oil, mixed with glucose obtained from corn starch, to yield the final ingredient used in our cosmetic formulas. Again, they are best described as naturally derived, because you can’t simply pluck them from a tree or squeeze a fruit to obtain these materials.
• There are many effective types of emulsifiers and surfactants that can be used in cosmetic formulas that are considered naturally derived and suitable for use in natural-based or certified organic formulas; but just because they are permitted for use in natural formulas, the end product should not be mislabeled as 100% natural or considered totally organic.

Learn how to get your ingredient list and marketing claims right with our Certificate in Cosmetic Labels & Claims.

Natural and organic cosmetic myth #2:

If a cosmetic ingredient comes from a natural source or can be found in nature, then it is natural.

FACT: Many cosmetic ingredients considered ‘natural’ are not actually all natural. There is an alarming number of cosmetic ingredients that are commonly listed as ‘from coconuts’, or from another natural-sounding source, when they contain at least some, if not a considerable portion, of synthetic components.

• The most common example of a cosmetic ingredient mis-represented as being natural on cosmetic ingredient labels is cocamidopropyl betaine. This is a fantastic cosmetic ingredient to use in foaming products to boost foam and cleansing properties whilst increasing mildness, however it does contain synthetic components. These synthetic components are not nature identical, so it should not be misrepresented as ‘from coconuts’. Interestingly, the hydrocarbon backbone of this material may also come from palm; but in any case, it contains synthetic ingredients as well.
• B-vitamins (such as panthenol (B5) and niacinamide (B3)) are definitely recognized as natural ingredients, but these are actually manufactured using synthetic starting materials to meet commercial demand. While they are chemically identical to the B-vitamins that occur in nature, the B-vitamins used in cosmetic formulas are not actually natural; they are produced from synthetic materials.
• Most preservatives used in cosmetic formulas are synthetically created, even though some may be chemically identical to those which occur in nature. Very few effective preservatives used in cosmetic formulas are truly naturally derived.

Natural and organic cosmetic myth #3:

If the cosmetic formula contains natural, naturally derived and organic ingredients, it can be certified as natural or organic.

FACT: To become a certified organic product, a cosmetic formula must pass certification with an organic certifier.

• To become a certified organic (or natural) formula, the cosmetic formula must contain very specific inputs of natural, organic or otherwise approved cosmetic ingredients. Some synthetic (albeit nature identical) preservatives are permitted in certified organic formulas. The water input in cosmetic formulas may also render it unsuitable to be certified as natural or organic.
• Only once a certifier (such as COSMOS) has reviewed the cosmetic formula and confirmed it complies with certified organic formulation principles, (or certified natural principles, as the case may be), can you seek organic or natural certification.
• Even certified organic formulas can contain certain synthetic chemicals – those which are permitted by the certifier – so even a certified organic formula may not be able to claim ‘100% natural or organic.’
• Even when a cosmetic formula has been passed as certified organic, you will still need to ensure the labelling and marketing complies with the certifiers rules and is truthful; and the cosmetic formula itself will need to be manufactured by a cosmetic manufacturer that holds organic certification to ensure the final product – not just the cosmetic formula – will in fact be as natural or organic as it is certified to be.

It is not enough to put natural, naturally derived and organic ingredients in a cosmetic formula and then market it as a certified natural cosmetic or certified organic formula – only once it has passed natural or organic certification by a certifier, and then manufactured in a certified facility, can it wear a certified natural or organic seal.

Natural and organic cosmetic myth #4:

If it’s natural or organic, it’s safe; testing is not required.

FACT: Just because an ingredient is natural or organic, does not mean it is instantly safe or better than a synthetic, partially synthetic or nature identical ingredient. Just because a cosmetic ingredient is totally or partially synthetic does it mean that it will be more harmful or less beneficial than a natural or naturally derived alternative.

• Every cosmetic ingredient should be considered based on its chemical composition (yes, even water, strictly speaking, is a chemical.)
• Be careful what you read on the internet too – water is fatal if you inhale it, yet you need to ingest at least two litres everyday to maintain good health. Most essential oils, for example, have strict limits on input in cosmetic formulas to ensure safe use by consumers; and at the same time, most (if not all) essential oils contain known allergens which must be listed on EU and ASEAN cosmetic labels.
• Finally, even most natural ingredients used in cosmetic formulas were once, in the past, tested on animals. This includes most of your naturally derived emulsifiers and surfactants as well as many plant and essential oils. This is a bitter statement for many to believe; but you can contact us for proof. Despite what you read on the internet, cosmetics are no longer tested on animals; in fact animal testing is now banned everywhere except for special use products imported into China (because of their regulations), and new cosmetic ingredients (even natural or organic ones!) where imports into the EU exceed 1000kg (where marine life toxicity testing is a regulatory requirement). Learn more with our animal testing video.

Natural and organic cosmetic myth #5:

Cosmetic formulas using only natural, naturally derived and organic ingredients can’t perform as well as synthetic ones.

FACT: This one is only partially true, and only in certain instances.

• It is true for high SPF rated sunscreens, water resistance polymers, and styling agents – there simply aren’t truly natural or organic ingredients that can perform the way as synthetic agents can for some of these functions. It is also true for some permanent hair colourants, particularly those which permanently lighten the hair.
• But there are now so many effective cosmetic ingredient choices for just about every other type of cosmetic formula that you can make highly effective skin and hair care formulas using only natural, naturally derived, nature identical and organic ingredients.

However: remember myth #3 where we mentioned that certified natural and organic formulas need strict compositional inputs to be certifiable? Well, these inputs may limit the performance or stability of your natural or organic formula. With clever formulation however, and persistence in the research and development stage, we are seeing more and more certifiable formulas achieve their strict compositional inputs and move to the certified stage. If you are trying to formulate highly specialized natural and organic skin and hair care products, then you are best to learn professionally as there are some stability and performance limitations you will need to know how to overcome.
 

Do you want to create great natural and organic formulas that truly are natural and organic – and able to be certified?

Learn the cosmetic formulation rules to create certifiable cosmetic formulas; or consider our Create Cosmetic Formulas software which does the tricky calculations for you.

• If you want to create high performing certified natural or organic skincare or haircare formulas that exceed consumer expectations: then you are best to learn how to formulate organic products professionally. Remember, adding a few natural or organic ingredients to a cosmetic formula doesn’t make it certifiable or truly natural or organic;

OR

• If you are happy to create beautiful natural and organic skincare and hair care formulas that are truly certifiable as natural or organic: but don’t necessarily need them to outperform salon or market leading products, then our Create Cosmetic Formulas program makes formulating certified organic products easy. You can still pick and choose the ingredients you want to use, and the program takes care of the correct inputs for you.

Take our quick quiz to see if cosmetic formulation software or learning cosmetic science is best for you, click here.